A/HRC/43/50/Add.1 reported being called “traitors” or “enemies of the nation” simply for questioning the role of some Poles in past events. 40. Beyond the direct impact on the work of historians and curators, the amendments may also have a considerable impact on the teaching of history and on the work of persons and organizations promoting reconciliation with Jews. Moreover, at the time of the Special Rapporteur’s visit, debates over the amendments had already contributed, as indicated by survey data, to an increase in hate speech, in particular hate speech of an antisemitic nature, of an increasingly open and public nature. The Special Rapporteur deplores this development and stresses the need for effective official responses. 41. More must be done to increase the international recognition for and understanding of the severe suffering of Poles of all religious backgrounds during the Second World War, a reality importantly demonstrated in the Warsaw Rising Museum. There is an array of institutions and monuments in Poland seeking to display a complex vision of history and past human rights abuses and atrocities, such as the European Solidarity Centre in Gdańsk, the POLIN Museum in Warsaw and the Auschwitz-Birkenau former German Nazi concentration and extermination camp, which must be able to continue their work unimpeded. Constructively addressing these difficult chapters of history and integrating them in school history curricula, in open debates and in museums, is essential for developing critical thinking and understanding, shaping a tolerant and inclusive society and guaranteeing cultural rights and many other human rights, such as academic freedom, the right to education and the right to freedom of conscience. C. Identity and nationalism 42. Like many countries today, Poland is currently experiencing political and cultural polarization. Efforts must be made to transcend such divides, and cultural and artistic initiatives can play a positive role in this regard. Polish identity does not belong to any one group or any one opinion bloc alone. 43. The Special Rapporteur was disturbed to hear that the term “anti-Polish” was being applied to Poles expressing views that differed from those of the Government or ruling party, including through art and culture, and by the suggestion that there is only one way of being Polish, one monolithic Polish identity based on one interpretation of one religion and one way of thinking. This does not reflect lived cultural realities. The diversity of perspectives, approaches and views – from avant-garde theatre directors to traditional clergy – and the vibrant debates the Special Rapporteur found in Poland are sources of cultural richness. 44. One exemplary aspect of the Polish Constitution is its explicit recognition that “both those who believe in God as the source of truth, justice, good and beauty, as well as those not sharing such faith but respecting those universal values as arising from other sources” are “equal in rights and obligations towards the common good” (preamble). It stresses that Polish culture is “rooted in the Christian heritage of the Nation and in universal human values”. Turning away from such a pluralist commitment now means rejecting the values that have motivated and underpinned the great Polish human rights movements of the past, which have inspired the world. 45. The Special Rapporteur recognizes that many different governments may try to promote cultural expressions that reflect their particular worldviews, and that the current government claims to be aiming to include “conservative” voices that it alleges were not heard in the past. However, present efforts in Poland to defund, sideline and silence cultural dissidence and views at odds with the historical and cultural vision of the current government, represent a kind of cultural engineering that seeks to alter the public face of Poland and reshape and simplify the complex contours of its difficult history. The Special Rapporteur fears this may give rise to further violations of cultural rights. Additionally, official discourse is often at odds with the lived experience, beliefs and values of wide sectors of the population. 46. The impact of language in debates about identity must also be carefully considered. Inclusive language should be used to refer to all inhabitants of Poland so as not to reinforce dynamics of othering and ideas that within the population of Poland some are “us” and some are “them”, or that minorities are not Polish. 9